Heavy favourites entering the tournament, Canada has met expectations thus far, stomping three foes en route to the semis. They outscored the Czechs, Americans and Europeans by a combined 14-3, trailing only once and for less than two minutes. All but two players have produced at least a point, led by Crosby andMatt Duchenewith four points apiece.

Victory has yet to be in doubt for the Canadians.

Whether the North Americans or Russians, the upcoming single elimination semifinal will present a much bigger challenge. Led byConnor McDavidandAuston Matthews, North America is loaded with young fire and about the only team in the tournament with the speed to contend with Canada. The Russians, meanwhile, are flooded with dangerous offensive players, including captain Alex Ovechkin andTampa Bay LightningstarNikita Kucherov.

A win for Russia in their preliminary round finale with Finland on Thursday afternoon will seal a date with the Canadians.

The early surprise team of the World Cup, Europe just didn’t have the horses to run with Canada. Much like the two that preceded it, this game was not particularly close even if the scoreboard briefly suggested so.

The Canadians struck first four minutes into the opening period and led the rest of the way.

After winning an offensive zone faceoff, Crosby scooped upAlex Pietrangelo‘s deflected point shot and zipped around the net for the wrap-around marker. It was his second goal of the tournament and looked similar to the first, in which Crosby swooped behind the Czech goal and fired a shot off netminderMichal Neuvirth.

Canada kept it coming, flooding Halak with shots and chances.

The European No. 1 goaltender withstood some of the onslaught and at one point late in the first frame stopped Marchand three times on the doorstep. Thirteen seconds later though, Halak’s clearing attempt found its way to Matt Duchene along the boards. Duchene spotted Toews, who slipped a shot into the European goal for the 2-0 lead.

Shots favoured Canada 17-4 after the first 20 minutes.

Crawford wasn’t tested much early, thoughTobias Riederdid race in for a partial breakaway only to slide a backhand wide. It was the first and likely only start of the tournament for the 31-year-old Crawford, starting in place ofCarey Price.

Canada opted to give Price,Shea WeberandRyan Getzlafthe night off against Europe with all expected back in the weekend semifinal.

Surprising the United States with a 3-0 win in their World Cup opener, the Europeans pushed the Canadians some early in the second. They scored four-plus minutes into the frame on a weak shot from Hossa that slipped somehow under Crawford’s right leg.

That made it 2-1 for Canada, though tension was never really apparent. The Canadians upped the lead back to two about 10 minutes after the Hossa goal on the second of the night from Toews. He raced in for an odd-man rush with Couture before snapping a shot under the glove of Halak.

Couture added the fourth Canadian goal late in the period.

Canada out shot Europe 46-19, holding the lead for least 50 minutes in each of the first three games.

I used to have a teammate who I played with for two years. He was heading to Switzerland for vacation, and he came up to me a few days before he was leaving.

“What’s Switzerland like, man?” he asked.

“Buddy, I’m from Norway.” I replied, and rolled my eyes.

People don’t know much about where I’m from. It’s a beautiful country. Mountains and forests everywhere — a fantastic place to get lost. We’re a happy nation, and our quality of life is the most important thing us.

People there don’t care how much money you make, or what your profession is. What’s important to them is the time when you’re not at work, when you’re with your family and your friends — and about the beauty that surrounds us. I sometimes wish America had an attitude similar to this.

In Norway, hockey isn’t a big deal. It’s not like cross-country skiing or soccer. There aren’t many skating rinks in Norway, and when I was a kid it was hard to get ice time. My youth team practiced maybe two times a week. I’d play on the pond with my friends more often than at a rink. Some winters our pond hockey scores mattered more than the ones in our local leagues.

But that all changed for me one day in the back of a tiny video store in rural Sweden — the day I found it.

To kids growing up in North America, finding it wouldn’t be such a big deal. But to me, it was like striking gold.

In a crisp, beautiful, new VHS sleeve was the Colorado Avalanche 2001 Stanley Cup championship video — 45 glorious minutes of uninterrupted hockey perfection. I begged my mom, “Please, please, please! Can we get it?” She bought it for me. I’ve probably seen it 1,500 times. I know every bit of it by heart — and I’m sure she does too.

I can still hear Gary Thorne’s call: “Ten seconds left to go — the countdown! Cleared up, out of the zone! The Colorado Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup!”

I was 13 when the Avs won the Cup, and I’ll never forget it.

Where I lived in Løren, Norway, we didn’t get many NHL games on television. I had only a vague idea of how great the hockey was. I didn’t have much of an idea of what the league was or how fantastic the hockey could be. On Sundays, we’d watch a Swedish channel on our cable box that would show 30 minutes of NHL highlights. All week long, I waited for that half an hour. That show was my window into the world of North American hockey. In those days, the Avalanche were incredible. I fell in love with the wristshot of Peter Forsberg, the skating of Joe Sakic. I knew I needed to see more. Unfortunately, all I had was my VHS tape. So I just kept rewinding it and rewinding it.

“Raymond Bourque, a dream has come true!”

Hockey was a wintertime thing in Norway. As soon as the weather got warm, we would forget about it completely. Our days were filled with games of soccer, floorball and handball. I think those other sports helped me become the athlete I am today. The kick-pass is an underrated skill; a lot of battles along the boards are won with crafty feet — don’t forget that.

When winter returned, my love for hockey would come back, too The highlight show would come back to Swedish TV, and I’d be rewinding the 2001 Avalanche tape again. Hockey would be all I wanted to do.

My mom enrolled me in skating lessons because I had “too much energy, and wouldn’t sit still,” as she put it. It’s not easy being a hockey parent anywhere, but Norway had some extreme circumstances. Three hour drives to the rink in snowstorms (real, Norwegian snowstorms, not light dustings like we get in America), endless trips to Sweden, constantly shipping in new equipment because Norway’s hockey stores were … well, barely hockey stores.

When I was 14, our team was really good for our age group, so we would travel to Sweden for tournaments. But it’s around that age that Swedish youth teams really kick their training up a notch. They were practicing more often and at a higher level, and it showed. We got smoked. A lot.

We stopped going to Sweden after while.

But I knew I’d be back. If I wanted to be like Forsberg, I had to go back.

I returned seven years later as a professional — my first taste of elite level hockey. I signed with Modo, a team based in the town of Örnsköldsvik, and for me, that was my goal. As cool as the NHL was, and as much as I loved the game, it never seemed realistic to me. It was a world away. Just names on jerseys that I watched on TV – it wasn’t real. That all changed when I got to Modo. When I arrived, Forsberg was on the team, and so was Markus Naslund. Me, Forsberg and Naslund, playing on the same ice where the Sedin’s used to practice their “Sedinery.” As a Scandinavian hockey fan, it didn’t get any better than that.

Even though it was incredibly exciting, Norwegians have this thing about being humble. If you’re good at something, you’re not really allowed to be good at it — if that makes sense. It’s about being humble in all scenarios. We’re gracious and thankful, and we don’t have the same mentality as kids who have been in intense competition since they were 10 years old. So when I came to Sweden, I was very shy and reserved. I didn’t want to make any mistakes — I was scared.

Even though I was three hours from home, my mother and father were still my biggest supporters. They really helped me settle in, and although they didn’t know much about hockey at the time, they were always behind me.

That kind of support did more for me than I knew. It helped me win the Guldhjälmen (don’t even try pronouncing it) award in 2010 as the Swedish league MVP. To see the names of previous winners beside mine was special.

Forsberg.

Lundqvist.

And now Zuccarello? Crazy.

That same feeling I had with Modo – about not wanting to make any mistakes – followed me to my first NHL training camp when I signed with the New York Rangers in May 2010. I was overwhelmed. It was such a professional atmosphere, everyone is used to a high level of competition. My first camp with the Rangers I thought, I’m not good enough. What am I doing here? I’d see Marian Gaborik skating circles around All-Star defensemen and think, Look at that guy. I’m not even close to that.

I sort of blacked out during that week, I don’t remember much. Maybe because it was so new and foreign to me. I had been comfortable with my life before. I loved being close to friends and family, so when I came here and felt alone, it hurt my game on the ice. I’d tell myself, Might as well just go home.

But my mom wasn’t having it.

She pushed me right back into the fire. She called and reminded me of the nights I had spent away from home at tournaments as a boy, the long trips I had made to games when I didn’t feel like going. She reminded me how I had felt when I saw Forsberg and Naslund, and how I had earned their respect. She told me to look at who I was, and where it had taken me.

So I woke up the next day and went to camp with a new attitude.

I told myself, Screw it, I’m just going to be me. I’m going to play my game.

I made the team, and settled into my first season without many expectations. I didn’t think I’d last long with the Rangers after bouncing up and down between the AHL and NHL. The lockout in 2012 only complicated things, but it let me return to Europe. I played for Paul Maurice in Russia, and he worked with me on how to play my game and how to key in on my strengths.

When I returned to New York, I found my identity on the ice. I was able to shake free of some of my humble Norwegian beliefs. It’s a different game over here. You have to play with a cockiness and swagger, and you have to be adaptable.

Norway and New York. It’s hard to think of two more different societies, but I’m lucky. I remember being a kid wandering around Løren with a Forsberg jersey on, and now I see kids wearing Rangers jerseys in my hometown. To have that sort of impact, that’s my favorite part of being a hockey player.

People always ask me to describe Norway to them.

I always say the same thing: misunderstood.

You might not be able to find us on a map. You’ve probably confused us with Sweden once or twice before. And no, that’s probably Iceland’s flag and not ours that you’re picturing right now.

So if you’re ever stumbling around Scandinavia and make your way to Norway, come visit.

Reagan Carey believes the upcoming season is a critical one in the process of the continued development of the perennial powerhouse USA Women’s Hockey program.

Carey, the director of women’s hockey for USA Hockey, said the talented player pool is deep with many established veterans and promising newcomers, generating energy and excitement as the players prepare for the season.

“We’re going to put all of our best out there and see how the season pans out in regards to who will be there at the end and named to our national team,” Carey said. “The stakes are high, our players know it and they’re prepared to battle for spots. It’s going to be a really exciting year for us.”

Carey touched on this week’s mini-training camp for post-graduates, noting the player pool is deeper than ever with 24 post-graduates who are currently active with the U.S. Women’s National Team and that includes 13 who are previous Olympians.

The first event of 2016-17 will be the Four Nations Cup tournament that will take place November in Finland, followed by a Dec. 17 showdown against Team Canada, a game that isn’t traditionally on the schedule.

“It’s a great opportunity for players, it’s exciting for fans, and it’s one more game to see how the player pool does,” Carey said.

That all leads to the upcoming IIHF Women’s World Championship, April 1-8, at the USA Hockey Arena, the first time the U.S. Will host the event since 2012 in Burlington, Vermont.

“Seeing the international level of players is something that’s rare, and for us to be able to do that, have a home crowd and see U.S. flags waving as we compete for a world championship is going to be special for our players and very important for our program,” Carey said.

The women’s world championship, a 22-game tournament that features the top female hockey players in the world, will be held in the U.S. for the fourth time in history, as the Americans seek their first gold medal on home soil. The U.S. fell 5-4 in overtime during the 2012 gold medal game against Canada.

“It was a tough loss in Burlington and I know our players are eager to get back out there and have the opportunity to earn a world championship on home ice,” Carey said.

The event will run in conjunction with the USA Hockey Girls’ and Women’s National Championships. The Tier I girls and the women’s championships will take place in Farmington, Michigan, while the girls’ Tier II event is at Troy, Michigan. Both are less than an hour from the USA Hockey Arena.

According to Carey, approximately 20,000 girls were registered in the U.S. and played within USA Hockey programs in 1998 when the Winter Olympics took place and impacted awareness of the women’s game. That number has since spiked to more than 70,000 today.

“It’s a testament to the focus from USA Hockey, determining how to best align the events because our goal is to showcase female hockey in the best way possible,” Carey said. “To host a world championship is special, but to do it in conjunction with girls’ and women’s nationals jump-starts interest and enthusiasm, not just for Michigan, but all of USA Hockey to be proud of how far the women’s team has come.”

The USA Hockey women’s program is currently a powerhouse. Americans have won gold or the top spot in the last five events, including a pair of IIHF U18 and Women’s World Championships. The U.S. won, or finished second, in 18 of 19 events since Carey became involved with the program in August 2010.

“Certainly there’s a full commitment from our veterans, and we’re so grateful to have such terrific leaders in our program,” Carey said. “Our core of leaders sets the tone for any incoming players, as well as the mainstays on the roster. That’s a huge factor for us.”

Carey said the U.S. program has remained dominant thanks to the structure of USA Hockey and the work at the district level. She added that the internal focus is on the program and the players to progress daily to ensure the U.S. remains at the top.

“There’s a lot to be said for the grassroots level, how deep, strong and capable the player pool is,” Carey said. “That starts before we get to national team camp. As a foundation, that is critical for us and a huge reason why we’re at the top of the pile. Certainly, as NCAA programs grow, that’s a big part in preparing players, too.

“We’re in a really great spot, seeing the benefit of our U18 development programs and how prepared our younger players are to have an impact on the senior level at an early age.”

Players can perhaps make the biggest impact soon as the women’s program prepares to begin its season.

In addition to the tournaments that will take place, there are annual camps and festivals for the active player pool that are being considered for spots on upcoming rosters. The next major camp will be in December when a U.S. Women’s National Team development camp is held at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan.

“Knowing all the players in the pool are all battling for the final spot on the national team roster, the energy around that alone is exciting,” Carey said. “To have these big events we get to host is going to be great. We’re looking forward to a great season.”

Minutes later, MacKinnon found out that the 4-3 victory over Sweden on Wednesday wasn’t enough to get Team North America into the semifinals at the World Cup of Hockey. The most exciting show on ice has two victories and a one-goal loss but needs Finland to beat Russia on Thursday to advance.

“Maybe we shouldn’t have celebrated so hard,” MacKinnon said.

Everything the 23-and-under Team North America does is over the top, most importantly the skill that has made it the focus of the World Cup. Despite playing the two most entertaining games of the tournament, North America is in wait-and-see mode while Sweden is the winner of Group B after getting the point it needed.

Henrik Lundqvist stopped 45 of 49 shots to get Sweden into the semifinals after a horrendous start by the skaters in front of him.

“We gave him a rough start,” said two-time Norris Trophy winnerErik Karlsson, who fell victim to the speed of North America’sConnor McDavidandJohnny Gaudreauearly. “As a goaltender, I don’t think I can even imagine how it feels to be that kind of left alone and let in two quick goals. How we can rebound from that I have no idea.”

Auston Matthewsscored on a 2-on-1 with McDavid 30 seconds in, andVincent Trocheckmade it 2-0 North America 95 seconds in. Lundqvist stopped a few breakaways and Gaudreau’s penalty shot to keep it from getting out of hand.

Sweden eventually got a handle on North America’s blazing speed, which made the best defence in the tournament look pedestrian.

“We had no choice. We had to. Otherwise it was going to be a disaster,” Karlsson said. “They gave us a slap in the face right away.”

North America is one big slap in the face to unsuspecting opponents, who know how fast the mix of U.S. and Canadian players is but can’t possibly adjust to it before seeing it. Gaudreau later scored for North America, but Sweden got goals fromFilip Forsberg, Nicklas BackstromandPatrik Berglund to get to overtime.

With starting goalieMatt Murrayout with a thumb injury, John Gibson stopped 35 of the 38 shots he faced. He looked shaky at times but stoppedDaniel Sedin on a breakaway in overtime as one of a few memorable, important saves.

Not down at all about the loss, Sweden went into the game with a full understanding of what it needed to do.

“Always when you step on the ice, you want to win the game, but obviously mission accomplished,” coach Rickard Gronborg said.

It’s the opposite for North America, which went from euphoria to uncertainty. A loss to Russia in the game of the tournament means it’s on the wrong side of a head-to-head tiebreaker and now must hope for Finland to pull off the upset.

“We’re happy we won,” forwardMark Scheifelesaid. “Winning two games in this tournament is a big step. Hopefully we get some help from Finland.”

Even if North America bows out, more fans will remember this team for its unmatched pace and excitement level than its 2-1 record. Each game featured more than a handful of did-you-see-that moves, and North America left a lasting impact on the sport.

“I think we definitely have turned some heads,” McDavid said. “People didn’t know what to expect when we came into this tournament, but we’ve beat two good hockey teams, and ultimately maybe even should have beat the Russians. I think we’ve definitely turned some heads and opened the eyes of everyone what the future of the NHL is like.”

MacKinnon provided one last highlight with the overtime winner. All alone, the 2013 No. 1 pick beat Lundqvist top shelf like he has been doing that to goalies for decades.

“I saw his stick came up for a poke check and managed to beat that and get it up,” MacKinnon said. “It was fun, a fun goal.”

Phil Kesselwas quick to note he wasn’t on the United States’ roster for during a disappointing World Cup of Hockey.

He wasn’t the only one to point out problems with the team’s construction.

In the moments after the Americans’ 4-2 loss to Canada that eliminated them from contention, the questions cascaded: John Tortorella as coach? Too much grit? Not enough skill? What might change after another all-too-familiar early exit from an international tournament?

”To come here and flop like we did is extremely disappointing,” defensemanRyan Sutersaid. ”Obviously we have to examine ourselves and what more could we have done and how can we get better for future tournaments.”

The American’s two-and-out revealed they brought too much physicality to a skill game. Canada, Russia, Team North America and others have thrived with fast-paced, entertaining hockey. Speed has been king at this international tournament.

With the aim of beating Canada, U.S. general manager Dean Lombardi built a big team with an edge to neutralize the talent of the top hockey power in the world. Instead, the World Cup showed depth of talent is everything. Leaving more skilled players at home proved detrimental.

Kessel, a Conn Smythe candidate as playoff MVP when the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup this spring, took to Twitter after the U.S. loss to make light of being not selected.

”Just sitting around the house tonight (with) my dog,” Kessel tweeted. ”Felt like I should be doing something important, but couldn’t put my finger on it.”

Kessel was the Americans’ leading scorer and best player at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, but he was left off the initial and then final World Cup rosters. Hand surgery after the playoffs may have put his availability in doubt, but USA Hockey’s management team clearly overlooked him and others.

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Growing up in Canada I was a huge hockey fan, but it wasn't until the 1972 summit series and the 1976 Canada Cup that I became a big fan of international hockey. The best players in world all playing on a sheet of ice.
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